Steele Tries to Meet Ambassadors
Michael Steele is reportedly trying to set up meetings with foreign ambassadors:
The Republican National Committee is trying to set up meetings between Chairman Michael Steele and foreign ambassadors to the United States, according to an email obtained by POLITICO – an effort that has puzzled diplomats as well as fellow Republicans.
An RNC intern sent a message late last month to at least one ambassador on behalf of Neil Alpert, a senior finance aide, with little explanation.
“As you know, the November election is just 103 days away and the Chairman would like to extend to you an invitation to sit down either at the RNC or at your embassy to discuss the upcoming 2010 midterm elections,” wrote Christopher Kelleher, a finance department intern. “With literally hundreds of congressional seats up for grabs in just under four months, Chairman Steel [sic] would love to have the opportunity to discuss the Party's outlook with you.”
RNC spokesman Doug Heye declined to comment on why Steele would want to set up individual meetings with the foreign diplomats, whether he’s had any meetings with them, and whether if he would continue to pursue such get-togethers.
“In his role as RNC Chairman, he meets with leaders in Washington and throughout the country,” said Heye.
But one European embassy official told POLITICO his embassy had received the generic-sounding message in a general inquiry in-box and indicated that he didn’t know what to make of the note.
The staffs of high-level American political figures typically go directly to an embassy’s political officer officer to set up meetings with an ambassador.
Steele’s outreach to foreign representatives heading into the final stretch of the mid-term election cycle is exasperating senior Republicans, already fed up with the controversial chairman’s knack for bad publicity.
“They can’t give any money and they can’t vote,” said former RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson of the ambassadors. “I don’t know why you’d take time to do it.”
It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to American candidates or political parties.
